BBCi
"A delightful new set which showcases The Four Seasons' startling originality."
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AllMusic.com
'... Beznosiuk's band is a remarkably flexible instrument.'
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Audio Video Club of Atlanta
'...beautifully characterized in sensitive performances by director/solo violinist Pavlo Beznosiuk and the fifteen members of that fine English organization, The Avison Ensemble.'
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BBC Radio 3 CD Review
Disc of the Week: 'Plenty of bold colours...recorded with immediacy and real presence on the Linn label.'
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The Avison Ensemble - Vivaldi - MusicWeb International

01 October 2011MusicWeb InternationalBrian Wilson

It's
hard to believe that until the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra recording
directed by Karl Münchinger was reduced from full price
Decca to the Ace of Clubs label in the late 1950s, the Four
Seasons were hardly known. Now we have a wealth of choice,
not just for those first four concertos but for the whole Op.8
set, on period instruments and their modern equivalents, though
usually, in the latter case, with a greater sense of baroque
style than shown by Münchinger and his team. To deal with
that latter category first, my admiration for the Academy of
St Martin in the Fields team under Neville Marriner remains
undiminished.

I recently compared two inexpensive period-instrument performances
of The Seasons (John Holloway and Andrew Parrott, Dal
Segno DSPRCD058), the complete Op.3 and Op.8 concertos (Fabio
Biondi, Virgin Classics 6484082, 4 CDs) and a number of other
recordings
I set one benchmark there, which only Biondi observes to the
letter, the barking dog in the slow movement of Spring,
represented by the viola, which should sound insistent against
the background of the sleeping herdsman: sempre forte: si
deve suonare sempre molto forte e strappato. The Avison
Ensemble also pass this test, if not quite as effectively as
Biondi. In fact, if you're looking for something just a
tad less overtly dramatic overall than Biondi or Dantone (Op.8/1-6
Arts 47564-8 and Op.8/7-12 Arts 47565-8 - see review),
this new Linn recording will do very nicely. The Biondi set
offers superb value - a 4-CD set for around the price of a single
CD - as do the Taverner Players and Andrew Parrott on a super-budget
2-CD Virgin Classics Veritas recording* - but the new Linn is
also something of a bargain in that the complete Op.12 set,
on two rather short CDs, is offered for the price of one, from
£8 for mp3 up to £18.00 for Studio Master. I chose
the 16-bit lossless (wma) which comes at £10 and found
it excellent. This is another excellent recording to add to
the distinguished list of the best available recordings; I shall
certainly be returning to it frequently.